Many aspects of modem commercial aircraft are manufactured in accordance with the particular requirements of the aircraft owner. One such aspect is the arrangement of the passenger seats within the cabin of the aircraft.
For example, FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a seat assembly 100 in accordance with the prior art. The seat assembly 100 includes one or more seat members 102 coupled to a pair of support members 104. A floor assembly 108 that supports the seat members 102 includes a pair of seat tracks 106 and a plurality of floor panels 112 disposed on opposing sides of the seat tracks 106. Attachment assemblies 110 attach the support members 104 to the seat tracks 106 of the floor assembly 108. As best shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the upper surfaces of the floor panels 112 are approximately flush with an engagement member 114 of the seat track 106, thereby providing a suitable floor surface for the passengers. Seat assemblies of the type shown in FIG. 1 are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,588 B2 issued to Lambiaso, U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,798 B2 issued to Cawley, U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,813 B1 issued to Whitcomb, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,979 issued to Bales et al.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the seat track 106 of FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the engagement member 114 of the seat track 106 is coupled to a pair of “C”-shaped seat track members 116. Upper surfaces 118 of the seat track members 116 engage and support the floor panels 112 (FIG. 2) adjacent the engagement member 114. A plurality of attachment devices 119 (FIG. 2) couple the floor panels 112 to the seat track members 116. As further shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a slot (or recess) 120 is disposed within the engagement member 114. The slot 120 forms a plurality of alternating holes 122 and lands 124 adapted and coupled to the attachment assembly 110.
The attachment assembly 110 typically includes an interface assembly that performs the actual secure engagement between the seat track 106 and the support member 104. For example, FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of an interface assembly 130 in accordance with the prior art. The interface assembly 130 includes a base 132 that engages against the engagement member 114 of the seat track 106, and an upwardly-projecting housing 134 coupled to the base 132. A support arm 136 is coupled between the base 132 and the support member 104 of the seat member 102. A seat fitting bolt 138 projects downwardly through the housing 134 and through the slot 120 of the engagement member 114. A lug member 139 (FIG. 4) is located inside the slot 120.
In operation, the lug member 139 is inserted through one or more of the hole portions 122 of the slot 120 of the engagement member 114, and is then moved longitudinally along the slot 120 to a desired position of pair(s) of lands 124. The seat fitting bolt 138, depending on particular operation, may then be torqued into engagement with the lands 124, drawing the lug member 139 toward the base 132 into contact with the engagement member 114 and clampably securing the interface assembly 130 to the engagement member 114. Thus, the slot 120 and the interface assembly 130 permit the seat member 102 to be selectively positioned at any desired interval along the seat track 106, including, for example, to permit the aircraft owner to control the spacing of the seat members 102 within the aircraft.
Although desirable results have been achieved using the prior art seat assembly 100, there is room for improvement. For example, because the seat fitting bolt 138 of the interface assembly 130 must be precisely torqued during installation, and then inspected each time a seat 102 is installed or moved, the interface assembly 130 is not as economical as desired. Also, the interface assembly 130 may be sensitive, and may require different torque settings for different types of seats. Furthermore, the engagement member 114 of the seat track 106 is expensive to manufacture, particularly alternating holes 122 and lands 124 of the slot 120. Therefore, novel interface apparatus and methods which at least partially mitigate these characteristics would be useful.